Ache
by KyoxSakiFan
Summary: Warmth is good for aches and pains. Tanuma/Natsume; drabblish fluff.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Natsume Yuujinchou. In case you haven't noticed though, I've fallen madly in love with the series. There's just something so natural about the characters that makes me love them.**

**So, I have been in a Tanuma x Natsume mood for a few days now and I finally sat down and wrote a small drabble for them. In Natsume's point of view this time, since my last installment for this pairing was in Tanuma's. **

**Also, for those that are relatively new to my writings, I suppose that I should warn you that this is in present tense, so it may read a little weird if you're not used to it. Most of my regular readers are fairly used to this by now, since I tend to write most of my more emotional works in present tense, but since I am new to this fandom I figured I would hand out a fair warning to avoid confusion.**

**Ah, I remember when I turned in my first creative writing assignment in present tense. God, I had to fight my professor so much just to get her to let me do it…that is, until she realized I was relatively decent at it…anyway, I could rant on and on about how much I love present tense, but you came here to read my drabble didn't you?**

**Enjoy!**

**Ache**

…

Natsume wonders if it's normal to feel eager to watch someone sleep.

He sighs and rolls over on his hastily set up futon, eyes settling warily on the lump of blankets a few feet away, only visible in the dark because of the moonshine filtering in through the window. The boy beneath the covers is breathing slowly and evenly, obviously caught up in the throes of a deep sleep. Nyanko-sensei is nowhere to be seen for the time being, likely out stuffing his face with stolen squid and drinking vodka like it is the sweetest nectar.

Natsume shifts a bit, trying to get more comfortable and winces when he accidentally jars the newly wrapped wound on his side. In fact, this is why he is sleeping at Tanuma's house in the first place—coming home with a visible wound is something he just cannot do. The Fujiwaras worry themselves sick over him enough.

There's also the threat of the potential questions that he is unable to answer.

Besides, Tanuma is someone that Natsume knows without a doubt that he can trust. This is why, after hours of dealing with a particularly troublesome youkai that ended up getting rather violent, Natsume proceeded to limp up to Tanuma's front door and nearly collapse on his floor.

Natsume smiles softly and winces a little as his wound makes itself known again. It isn't too bad actually, although there is still a high chance that he'll have to go to the hospital in the morning. He already has a fake story thought of, a lie to convince the Fujiwara's that it was an accident. He's going to tell them that he was attacked by a large, stray dog while chasing after Nyanko-sensei.

This—of course—is all Tanuma's idea. He says that Natsume's excuses of, "I tripped," are beginning to make him look like a clumsy oaf. His chest warms at the memory of Tanuma's exasperated laughter. He gets this really soft look to his face when he laughs, like every worry he has just melts away to nothing at all. It makes Natsume want to reach out and caress it, take it and hide it somewhere that nobody can see it except for him.

Natsume is not a fool by any means, nor is he oblivious. He knows that he cares for Tanuma a lot; however he's only recently becoming concerned with how much.

He frowns as he considers it. A tight knot of fear is beginning to suffocate him. What if Tanuma feels the same way he does? The thought frightens him more than anything.

The more someone cares for him….the more scared he becomes.

The tight ball of anxiety in his chest finally lets loose a little as he breathes, but not without a sting of sharp pain and a consequential cough.

And of course this is enough to wake his companion. Sometimes Natsume wonders if Tanuma ever really relaxes when they're together, or perhaps he just has some kind of weird Natsume alert system.

"Are you okay?"

"F-Fine," Natsume tries to reassure him, but when Tanuma rolls over and gives him a knowing look, he realizes that any effort he makes will be in vain. "Just a little cough."

"You didn't make yourself sick, did you?"

Natsume tries to give a small laugh in response, but another cough forces its way out. For the first time he notices just how sore his body is and frowns—this doesn't feel like something that will go away anytime soon.

"It still hurts?"

"I'm fine," He tries again, but Tanuma just shakes his head with an exasperated sigh and does something that leaves Natsume's mind racing.

He lifts his blanket invitingly.

"Tanuma?"

"Heat helps dull the ache," Tanuma replies sheepishly, smiling in a way that says he's embarrassed. "I'm probably not the warmest, but another bath might just aggravate it more."

"R-Right," Natsume takes a deep breath to calm himself before taking up the offered spot. Tanuma kind of hovers by him, as though afraid to touch him. Natsume's heart is pounding so hard that he can hear the sound of the blood rushing in his ears.

'This is kind of embarrassing,' He thinks to himself and then chuckles softly, thankfully avoiding another coughing fit. Tanuma is watching him intently and Natsume forces himself to calm down—this is Tanuma, so that makes it okay…makes it…

Natsume smiles a bit to himself and scoots a little closer to Tanuma, who grins back in a way that makes his breath catch and wraps an arm around Natsume's shoulder very carefully so as to avoid the injury.

To Natsume, the air suddenly feels a lot warmer.

Thankfully, he isn't awake for very long. He's bone tired—running away from youkai really takes a toll on the body day after day. And really, the warmth is so nice he can just fall under the fuzzy feeling of sleep in an instant.

He wakes the next morning with Tanuma curled up at his back, breathing softly on his neck with a peaceful expression on his face. Natsume lets himself slowly come out of sleep, something that he's highly unused to. He smiles when he is finally awake enough to notice Nyanko-sensei sleeping a few feet away, a low purr rumbling from his throat as he tangles himself in the blankets Natsume had been using before.

Natsume shifts a little and bites back a groan of satisfaction. His body—although still a bit sore—is humming with warmth and tingling with feeling. It reminds him of the sleepy contentment after a nice massage.

He closes his eyes and thinks that Tanuma might give him one if he asks.

The closeness of Tanuma's body is slightly foreign, but far from alarming.

As long as it's Tanuma…it's…it's okay…

Natsume ends up falling back to sleep.


End file.
